On
this 14 day of November personally appeared in open Court, before the Justices
of the Court of Loudoun County, now sitting, Gustavus Elgin, a resident of the
State & County aforesaid, aged seventy eight years, who being first duly
sworn according to Law, doth on his oath make the following Declaration in
order to obtain the benefits of the act of Congress passed June 7 1832. That he
entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and
served as herein stated:

I was born in the County of St.
Marys [Saint Marys] State of Maryland Sept’r 17 1754this account of my age I obtained from my
Father and it is recorded in my family Bible now in my possession. I have
understood that my Father removed to Loudoun, Virg’a when I was only three or
four years old. I remained behind with my Grandmother till I was about eight
years old, when I went home to my Parents, and I have continued to reside in
Loudoun County, Va. ever since. In the year 1777 I was appointed Lieutenant in
a Company of Loudoun Militia, Commanded by Capt. Alexander McMichin & in
Sept’r of that year I marched with my company to the Head Quarters of the army
then at White Marsh [Whitemarsh] in Pennsylvania — We marched from Leesburg to
Frederick town, My’d. thence to Little York [York PA], Lancaster & Reading
Pa. At the latter place we crossed the River Schuylkill, thence down the north
bank of that River to White Marsh which was a few miles from the Rising Sun
Tavern, which was between Philadelphia and Germantown. We arrived at Head
Quarters early in October, the day after the Battle of Germantown was fought [4
Oct 1777]. I acted as Commissary of my Company until I arrived at Head
Quarters. Col. Josias Clapham & Lieut. Col. James Coleman of Loudoun
Commanded the Regiment to which I was attached. I remember Captains Lewis &
Buchannan of same Regiment. — I was three months in service doing duty on
picquit [picket] guard & scouting parties, sometimes as near Phila. as the
Rising Sun Tavern, but was not engaged in any Battle with the Enemy. — In
December 1777 I returned home, but had no written discharge — Soon after my
return I was promoted to a Captaincy & Commissioned by his Excellency
Patrick Henry, then Governor of Virginia, all [illegible word] Commissions are
mislaid or lost. I cannot find any one. I was not ordered out again till about
the last of July 1781 when I marched with my Company to Gloucester in Virginia –
marching thro’ Falmouth, Fredericksburg, Bowling Green & the Country lying
between the Rappahannock & York Rivers direct to Gloucester. Thomas Moss of
Loudoun was my Lieutenant. Col. George West Commanded my Regiment and John
Hereford of Loudoun was the Adjutant. When I arrived at Gloucester our Regiment
was united with the French Troops – I continued to receive orders from Col.
Geo. West. I do not remember the names of the French officers. My duties on
picquet guard, Building Redoubts &c &c were constant and severe. After
the surrender of Cornwallis [19 Oct 1781], I was ordered to unite with other
Companies of Loudoun Militia to guard a Troop of prisoners to Noland’s ferry in
Loudoun, which I did & returned home in the latter part of November 1781 as
near as I remember it was the last of November. I think there was seven or
eight Companies engaged on this service. At present I remember only those
commanded by Captains Luckett [probably John Luckett], Moffitt [probably Josiah
Moffett] and Hardage Lane — I recollect John A. Binns of Loudoun was a Lieut.
in Moffett’s Company.

I
hereby relinquish every claim to a pension or annuity except the present &
declare that my name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state —